The Indigo Hour
by Rain.Wolf.Storm
Summary: Catalina is a hybrid. She comes to Forks to escape, to start a new life. With her ability, she is able to keep up a facade of being human, even when the Cullens come into her life. But as the past comes back to haunt her, her secret becomes harder and harder to keep...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my very first fanfic, so be sure to let me know what you think! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: All characters from the 'Twilight Saga' belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

Forks, Washington was many things, but it definitely wasn't home. I wasn't sure where home was anymore. I sat on the black comforter my uncle had bought for my new bed, in my new room, in his new house, and thought about what home was. I finally figured that this _was _home now.

I had just finished putting my last book on the shelf when my uncle came in. He was smiling warmly, but there was an anxious crease between his eyebrows.

"Catalina…" He began, but I cut him off.

"Lina. You can call me Lina, Uncle Charlie." I said, turning to him once the book was aligned with all the others.

"Lina," He began again. "You do like the room, don't you? Is there anything else I can get you? Anything I can do for you?"

I laughed lightly at the absurd question. My uncle had done so much for me. He had moved from the Quileute reservation where he was born so I could go to the town's high school. He had given me a beautiful room, and had set up shelves for me to stock with books and music and journals. Most importantly, though, he had promised he would take care of me for as long as I needed him to. As I considered this, I felt a rush of warmth for the man. His sister, my mother, had died when I was very young. It was entirely my fault, which he knew. And still, as soon as I contacted him he promised me a good home, and a chance at a new life. Of course, he knew my secret. I was a Hybrid; half werewolf, half vampire.

"You've already done more than I ever could have hoped for." I promised him, going over and hugging him briefly before going back to the shelf. My uncle wasn't a very touchy-feely kind of guy.

"Well, I've got duty in the morning, so I'm off to bed," He said. "If you do need anything though, let me know." He paused just before closing the door. "Lina, I'm… I mean, I just wanted… I really am happy that you're here." He told me, giving me another warm smile before the door clicked shut.

My uncle and my mother had been werewolves; the incredible shape-shifters that in an instant could transform into huge, strong, superhumanly fast beasts. The Quileutes were descended from wolves, and a handful of them still had Quileute blood running through their veins. They were a pack, and pack bonds were stronger than most family bonds. Or at least, usually they did.

_ A century and a half ago, when my uncle had only just turned twelve, the Alpha and his second-in-command got into a dispute. A coven of vampires had come to the area, and Sam (the second-in-command) wanted to destroy them. Werewolves had no greater enemies than vampires. But Ephraim Black (the Alpha) had made a treaty with these vampires, who only drank from animals. As long as they did not harm the humans or the tribe, they were allowed to live there._

_In a fury, Sam broke free from the pack, and my mother followed him along with several others. They made it all the way to the Romanian mountains, and found a new territory. Sam became the leader of the sub-pack, and my mother became his second-in-command. He had had feelings for her since they were children, so they got along quite well. That is, until my mother met my father. A mind-reading nomadic vampire, one of a three person coven of animal-drinkers, was passing through the mountains. They were just over the border of pack territory when my mother found them. The second she saw my father, she fell instantly, madly, and irrevocably in love with him. The pack calls the phenomenon 'imprinting'. _

_My father returned the feelings in full, and they secretly carried on a love affair. When a month later Sam asked my mother to become his mate, she refused, keeping her thoughts well-guarded. Sam was deeply wounded, but he resigned himself to it. Only two months after that, my mother discovered that I had been conceived. Sam was furiously jealous that my mother had found another man, but he didn't dare ask her who it was. So it went on for quite a while. My mother had a very brief pregnancy, lasting only three months, and then I was born. I grew at an accelerated rate, and I quickly found that I was fast and strong and pale, like my father, but that my mother's genes gave me wavy auburn hair and almost-human coloring in my cheeks and in my pale, pale grey eyes. My body temperature was a bit cooler than a human's, but my werewolf blood kept me from being as icy as vampires. Sam hated me on first sight. And he began to hate my mother, too._

_Then, of course, there was the matter of my ability. My father was a mind-reader, so my own ability soon made itself apparent: I was a shield. My scent was not recognizable as a vampire or a werewolf, and my mind was safe from the abilities of others. When in a crowd, I could mask my individual scent and appearance from others, literally blending in with everyone else. That much came in handy in the decades prior to me coming to Forks._

I stood up lithely, not making a sound on the hardwood floor, and made my way over to the window. I could hear the symphony of wind in the surrounding forest, the feather-light steps of a deer herd as they tread their way through the foliage, the television downstairs as my uncle flipped through channels, and the hum of the refrigerator. The day was fading, and the town of Forks was dwelling in twilight. My acute senses, just like those of my father, were sharp and quick to catch even the slightest disturbance in the night. Sitting on the windowsill, I looked out over what was now home. I smiled faintly to myself. This was my chance to start over, to have a new beginning. I could leave all that had happened in the past far behind, and I could move forward for the first time in nearly a hundred years. That is, as long as _they_ didn't find me… But that was a worry for another time. The window screen shrieked in protest when I lifted it, but I was too strong for it to resist. Tonight, I would hunt. I slipped off the sill, landing easily and silently thirty feet below, and I disappeared into the indigo hour.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here you go, Chapter 2! Tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: All characters from the 'Twilight Saga' belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

It was less than a week after I had moved in with Charlie that I was to begin human school. I would be coming in mid-semester, just after Thanksgiving break. I had all my supplies, all the things that I would never need in a high school. All the material that was covered in my courses I had already memorized, and my memory rarely faltered. I had a new outfit, which Charlie had actually taken me out to buy. I had giggled when he told me why we were going out. It was such a human thing, to shop for a 'first day outfit'.

And yet, at 7:00 sharp, I was locking my silver Focus and walking to the front door of the school with a messenger bag slung over my shoulder. A few human teens were hanging back in the parking lot, and I heard the shrieks and giggles of friends being reunited on their first day back from vacation. I pulled up the hood of my sweatshirt, trying to avoid being noticed. I smelled rain on the air, which wasn't uncommon in this town. The sky had a grey, heavy look to it. I smiled. I loved the rain.

I went to the front office, where a middle-aged woman who wore a heavy perfume and a light blue blouse handed me a schedule and a slip to be signed by all of my teachers. She looked me up and down every other sentence, as if looking told her all she needed to know about me. I thanked her with a smile and left quickly, hurrying to my first human class.

The day went off without a hitch. A few humans approached me, and I played the part of the new girl as best as I could; shy, quiet, and friendly. In French class first period, I was sat next to a girl named Angela, who was sweet and soft-spoken. She smiled and introduced herself when I sat down, and we chatted quietly while our teacher went over conjugations. We both had a free period next, which we spent talking and with her giving me a tour of the school. Third, in Biology, I was sat at a lab table by myself, though the teacher assured me that my lab partner was simply still on vacation, but would be back the next day.

At lunch surely enough Angela caught me in the crowd and led me to where she and several of her friends sat. I met Eric, Ben, Jessica, Mike and Lauren. I sat, toying with the human food before me, trying to mask the fact that I wasn't eating by pulling the food into pieces. When the bell rang the meal went straight into the garbage.

Next was gym, which I detested. The smell of sweating humans was horrible, and as it was the first day back, and our coach decided dodgeball would be the best way to get back into the "P.E. mojo", there was quite a lot of sweating. Every second of the game I reminded myself to hold back, and not to draw attention to myself. I allowed myself to get hit out after twenty minutes, and at at the edge of the others who had been hit. They watched me with unmasked curiosity, and Mike from lunch came over to chat with me. I replied in quiet, brief sentences.

Next came World History. I was put at a table with Eric and Ben from lunch. They informed me that another person sat at their table, but that they had taken a long vacation, just like my biology partner. I began to question the school' attendance policy when the teacher called our attention to a map of Ancient Egypt. Calculus was second to last, though the material was so simple that I spent most of the class letting my mind wander.

Finally there was English, where we wrote in journals about what mortality was, and how society seems to reject the concept that humans are mortal. I refrained from laughing.

At the end of the day, I returned my slip to the office. The same woman plastered a smile to her face and thanked me.

"I hope you enjoyed your first day, Honey. You have a good day now." She said.

"You too." I returned, already making my way out. As I opened the office door, a girl with short-cropped black hair and a willowy figure entered. She looked at me, her eyes golden and curious, then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She paused in the door way, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Ah, Ms. Cullen! Did you have a nice vacation?" The woman behind the desk called out.

The girl didn't move. Her eyes had taken on a distant look, and her mouth was set in concentration.

"Where are your siblings?" The woman continued, as I hurried away and the door shut behind me.

I just barely caught her voice as she replied, "They're outside. I just wanted to let you know that we're back a bit earlier than expected…"

I could feel the heat flee from my face as I paled. I went a bit too quickly to my car, only to see a Volvo parked beside me. Leaning against it was a tall blonde man, his hair unruly and long. In the backseat of the car sat a huge, brawny man with curly brown hair, and a stunning girl with long golden hair. All I could see of the driver was his mess of reddish hair as I practically leapt into my car and pulled away. I felt their eyes on me as I drove away.

Their eyes. All of them had the same golden eyes. And all of them carried the scent that I had missed every day in all the years since the day my father died.

I pulled off the road and parked my car as I felt my breathing stop. I shut my eyes tightly.

They were vampires.

Once home, I left my bag in the car and sped into the forest. Charlie wouldn't be back for quite a while. Once deep in the trees, I found a fallen tree with a cache where I stored my clothes. Half a second later, I was flying on four silver paws, my wolf form taking over completely. I had no pack, so it was a rather quiet and solitary existence when I was a wolf. But it allowed me time to think.

The vampires here had golden eyes, like my father. So they were animal-drinkers. They would have no way of knowing who I was, or what I was for that matter. Right? I kept running, pushing myself faster and faster, when suddenly a howl split the air. I froze, ears perked and tail frozen in place. Chills made my fur raise and when another howl answered the first, my ears flattened. So the Quileute pack was still there, guarding Forks from the vampires. I wondered if the vampires I had seen today were the same ones who had lived here when my mother left for Romania. I flexed my claws, suddenly glad that I had my wolf form. I doubted the pack would attack me, even if I was discovered as a wolf. They would never catch my scent, never mark me for what I was. They would think I was just odd. They would never know.

_The first time I ever shifted was when my life went to hell in a hand basket. I had never needed to guard my thoughts of my mother and father, or of what I truly was. So when, at the age of two and the physical age of eight, I transformed into a pale silvery-gray she-wolf, my thoughts were thrown to every member of my mother's pack at full force. And Sam came for me. I remember my mother screaming for me to run, for me to find my father. I remember all the thoughts of the pack shutting off except for hers, as she and I broke free from them. And I remember running fast and far until I reached a ridge high above the pack's territory, and watching with my vampire-heightened eyes as Sam and my mother fought. My father heard my cries for him and rushed to me. He arrived just as my mother fell, and Sam grabbed her throat. He screamed._

I shook the memories when the howls grew closer to me. Worried I had crossed into the pack's territory, I hurried back through the trees, running to where my clothes were hidden. Just in case they _did _react badly, I would avoid the pack. And the vampires…

Forks was becoming more dangerous with each of revelations, and I hadn't even been here a week. Once I had returned to the house, changed, and showered, I packed a backpack. It held everything I would need to run: three days' worth of clothes, a small satchel holding thousands of dollars in money from all over the world, sixteen various ID cards and passports, and three of the journals my father had kept through his 400 years of existence. My mother's necklace never left its place around my neck, and the rest was carefully sealed in the backpack. I sat with the bag in my lap, staring around my room. I had come here to escape that world, where vampires and werewolves ruled.

I traced the seam of the backpack, and thought of my mother and father, and Sam. I thought of my new room in my new house in my new life. I thought of Charlie.

I unpacked the backpack, folding the material sack and putting it at the back of the shelf in my closet, then I went downstairs to greet Charlie as he came in from work.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so I think three chapters is good for the first night, right? Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns all the charcters from the 'Twilight Saga'**

I didn't tell Charlie what had happened.

I didn't want him to be upset, for one. For another, I was worried he didn't know that the Cullens were vampires. He had retired from the pack a few years ago, starting to age again and being left out of the pack's meetings upon request. He told me that he hated to hear about all the things he couldn't help with. He kept the tribe informed on odd police cases in the area, and they dealt with it. End of story, he had said.

So that night, while he ate the food I had prepared for him after watching a cooking program for an hour, I told him how great school had been. He smiled, enjoying his food and nodding his head happily.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it." He said between bites of chicken and vegetables.

We enjoyed a companionable silence for the remainder of his meal, before I cleared his plate.

"Oh, Lina, I hadn't thought… Are you… I mean, do you…" He stuttered as he realized I hadn't eaten. I smiled knowingly at him.

"I only need to hunt twice a week, Charlie. And last night I went hunting." I informed him. A relieved breath whooshed out of him.

"Right, right. Of course." He said. He excused himself, thanking me again for the meal, and he went off to watch the television. Once the dishes were put away, all traces of food scrubbed off of them, I said goodnight to him and retreated to my room. For once, I was exceedingly glad for my need to sleep. Changing into pajamas, I lay under the sheet and closed my eyes. As I began to drift, my thoughts went to the past I had struggled to leave behind.

_After what felt like weeks, my father stood, the tears that could never fall burning in his golden eyes, and he picked me up. We fled, returning to North America, and we settled in Canada. For years we survived in the wilderness, far from civilization, ever haunted by my mother's death. I stopped aging at the age of five, and forever looked to be eighteen. On my real fifteenth birthday, my father gave me a necklace that had been my mother's. That same year, on the anniversary of my mother's death, my father was gone. I woke to an empty house, with no note, no scent trail, and no missing clothes or coats._

_That evening, two red-eyed vampires appeared at my doorstep: both males, one who was big and brawny, the other much thinner and more wiry. Having heard the stories about human-drinkers, and how much they hated we 'vegetarians', as my father called us, I tried to run. They caught me easily, the burly one holding me fast. I screamed for my father, and the wiry one informed me that my father had been killed. At that, a rage took over me, and I struggled to keep my wolf from bursting forward. They went on to tell me that my father had gone to the Volturi, and had begged for death. When they refused him, he threatened to reveal the existence of vampires. As vampires had such strong, pale skin, direct sun had a tendency to catch off of it and produce a shiny effect, like moonlight on water. They had killed him, for the sake of all vampire-kind. That was the end of it. My wolf burst forth, and I heard their cries of surprise. I snarled at them, hackles raised and teeth bared, and pounced. The burly one was too strong, though. He caught me and held me around the ribcage, squeezing me until I shifted back for fear my ribs would shatter. I was sobbing. I had no one left. Absolutely no one. I was suddenly aware of an overpowering rush of connection with the two men, and I sought comfort in their arms. They hugged me, smiling and comforting me in the gentlest of tones. I now know that all three of us were being manipulated by a vampire who had an outstanding talent for bond-control._

_They invited me to join them, saying their Master had seen me in my father's thoughts (he was also a mind reader, apparently), and that he wanted very much for me to join them. The onds I felt with them being manipulated made it clear that I could not refuse. So I joined the Volturi. For the better majority of a century I was one of the guard, Aro's favorite. I served them well, though I still abstained from human blood. I insisted it was a matter of family tradition. They seemed to grudgingly accept that reasoning. I began to feel at home. At least, until…_

I sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. My clock read 5:20 AM. I lay there, staring at the flashing digitized numbers until they shifted to say 5:21. After a few minutes of debating whether or not to call in sick from school, I decided the best way to keep the attention from myself was to lie as low as possible. So, having no reason to go back to sleep, I got washed and dressed for school. Charlie was still snoring quietly in his room, so I went downstairs and made him a quick breakfast, leaving a note for him to have a nice day. Just as I was starting my engine, I heard him moving about inside as he got ready.

Knowing nobody would be at the school for a while, I drove around the town of Forks. Everything was so green, so full of life. As I drove, I saw deer and birds and all sorts of small woodland creatures running through the huge grey-green tree trunks. I couldn't stop breathing in the scent of the forest.

After I drove all the way to the town boundary and back twice, a few students had arrived. I parked next to a van, and as I got out of my Focus Eric, Ben, and a boy I hadn't met yet tumbled out from the van's side door.

The new boy was introduced as Tyler, who was apparently in both my English and my Calculus classes. I had almost forgotten that I was even _in_ those two courses, and I sheepishly explained that I had been out of it yesterday and hadn't recognized him. Luckily he seemed to accept that and move on fairly quickly. As day two kicked off, I began to settle in a bit, and I even started convincing myself that I wouldn't need to worry about the animal-drinkers. French, Free Period, and even gym went perfectly well. By lunch I had stopped fidgeting nervously every few seconds. Then came Biology.

My lab partner was back from vacation. And the second I saw his peculiar bronze hair, I felt every fiber of my being scream for me to run. The golden-eyed vampire turned his head as soon as I entered, and I had to refrain from flinching as his gaze followed me to the teacher's desk. I quietly asked if I should sit in the same seat, and the teacher chuckled and informed me that I didn't need to worry, because seats only changed once: in the second month of school.

"You'll be with Mr. Cullen for the rest of the year," He said, then more quietly added, "And don't worry: He's an excellent student. You'll be fine."

Nodding at him, I focused straight ahead and went to my seat. As I carefully put my books down and perched as far from the animal-drinker as possible, he turned away from me, frowning and furrowing his eyebrows. I swallowed, trying not to fidget nervously. That day we were taking notes on the lecture our teacher gave, and I struggled to write at a human pace, and to look like I was focusing. My partner made no such effort, even closing his eyes and putting his hands to his head. He looked like he was trying very hard to concentrate.

Once the bell rang, I practically ran for the door.

At lunch, as I sat at the same place I had yesterday, I realized with dread that all five of the golden-eyes were walking into the cafeteria. I spoke quietly to Angela.

"Angela, who are they?" I tried to sound genuinely curious, as opposed to frightened and suspicious. Angela followed my line of sight.

"Oh, yeah, intimidating aren't they?" She giggled softly, "Those are the Cullens. They were all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife- Dr. Cullen works at the hospital. The two blondes- That's Jasper and Rosalie- they're really twins. They're the Hales. Then there's Emmett, that's the big one. He and Rosalie are kind of… Together. And so are Jasper and Alice, Alice is the petite one. And then there's…" She trailed off as she realized that Jessica had keyed in on our conversation. Jessica smiled, but it wasn't a happy sight.

"The last one is Edward," She picked up where Angela left off, "He's the only one who isn't _with _someone. And _apparently_," She looked down at the chocolate chip cookie she was pulling apart, "He's too good for anyone here."

The connection was instant. Edward had turned Jessica down. Jessica was bitter. Edward was a vampire. Jessica was human. She thought he was being shallow! I snuffed out the laughter rising in my chest.

My eyes came into focus and I realized I had been staring at the table where the Cullens had sat. The pixie girl- Alice, Angela called her- and Edward were both looking at me intently. I blushed and excused myself from the table, throwing away my lunch and hurrying to gym class fifteen minutes early.

I was horrified to find that Jasper Cullen, the blonde who was "with" Alice, was the missing boy from our World History group. He watched me curiously throughout class, and I was beginning to feel ill from all the speculation I was receiving. At the end of the day, I didn't even want to go home. I just wanted to run. Run into the green, rainy trees with so much life, and never look back.

Instead, I made my way casually carefully back to my car, watching for vampire-filled Volvos. I thought I was in the clear, truly- until I dropped my keys. I could have kicked myself. I was so focused on the stinking vampires that I was acting like a human! As I bent at human speed to retrieve them, a marble white hand flashed to snatch them up. I straightened immediately, and came face to face with Alice Cullen once again.

"Um… Thanks…" I mumbled, taking the keys from her. She smiled.

"No problem," She chimed in a musical voice. "I'm Alice, by the way. Your Ca-"

"Lina." I interrupted before she even finished. "I go by Lina."

She seemed confused for a moment, then nodded and laughed lightly.

"I'm sorry, my mistake…" She looked disturbed by the statement. I guessed that being wrong was new for her.

"It's fine." I said, opening my door. "See you around!"

I almost felt bad, leaving her in the parking lot so abruptly, but I was starting to panic.

That night, once I was already in bed, I closed my eyes tightly and willed myself to sleep. When it didn't come, I chose instead to pretend.

It was still better than being awake.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm going to try to post at least a chapter a week. (Probably more, though) Please tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: All characters from the books belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

As the week went on, the golden eyes of the Cullens grew darker and darker, and their attitudes changed. For the rest of the week, Alice left me alone. Edward no longer stared at me throughout Biology class: instead, he completely ignored my existence. I was thrilled. In History, Jasper was quiet and introverted, barely speaking at all, much less to me. The only downside was that at Lunch Edward and Alice continued to watch me, and the rest of their family seemed to catch onto it. But that was at least manageable.

By the weekend, I was almost certain that life would go on as I had originally planned for it to. Saturday morning Charlie was going out fishing with a friend of his from the tribe, Billy. I had packed him a simple lunch and attached a note reading: Good Luck, Don't Fall In. I smiled a bit at myself. Charlie and I had fallen easily into a routine that was almost normal. I sat and talked with him while he ate, and we had even taken up watching T.V. together in the evenings. I held an overwhelming amount of respect and affection for the man.

However, when he came home from fishing with a six-foot boy that smelled overwhelmingly of adolescent wolf pushing a man in a wheelchair, I was ready to throw something at him. Possibly a tree.

"Oh hey Lina!" The traitor greeted me with a smile. "There's someone I want you to meet." He gestured to the man and the boy pushing him. "This is Billy Black, and his son. Jacob."

The younger boy smiled at me, while the old man regarded me with a curious and wary gaze.

"I've heard a lot about you." Billy murmured.

"It's great to meet you." I said, forcing a smile. I glanced at Charlie, who shrugged. I sighed, then turned my head when I smelled the spaghetti I had put on the stove starting to boil.

"I just started dinner. Are you guys staying?" I asked, though I directed the question to Charlie.

"Well they drove me over, Lina. It'd be rude to turn them away from a good meal." He chuckled, going into the house with me while Jacob maneuvered his father into the front hall.

"You've got to be kidding me." I hissed at Charlie once we rounded into the kitchen. "You bring two wolves over for dinner?"

He laughed lightly, whispering back, "Billy's retired, and Jacob hasn't even started the transition yet. He probably won't ever need to."

I glared. "Sorry to burst your bubble Uncle Charlie, but the kid smells pretty close to his time."

He seemed surprised by this, then he frowned muttering to himself.

"Such a shame… I thought maybe they would leave before he had to…" He trailed off. I frowned, patting his shoulder lightly. New werewolves had tremendous amounts of difficulty in the early stages of transformation. It wasn't something fellow pack members liked to have happen.

The pack only even existed in the first place when there were vampires in the area. After my mom and my uncle's generation, two generations had been skipped. I felt bad for the kid in the other room, who had no idea what I was or what he was for that matter.

After that I played nice, and I acted as human as possible around Jacob, or Jake as he preferred. We ate together in the kitchen while Charlie and Billy ate in front of the TV, watching sports. He went to school on the reservation, and his mom had passed away when he was little. I frowned.

"My mom passed away when I was a kid too…" I told him. The story we had been telling people so far was that my mom had died when I was young, and my dad had just been killed in a car accident, so I had come here to live with my uncle. It was close enough to the truth. People didn't usually ask for more information once I told them that.

"It's fine though," Jake cut off my train of thought, giving me a soft smile, "I don't really remember her much.

_That's where we're different, _I thought, _I remember every second_.

We were quiet for a while after that, me pretending to eat the meal I had cooked. I felt sorry for Jake. He had no idea about the card he was about to be dealt. I realized that once he phased, he might be angry with me. After all, I had known and I hadn't warned him. Instead I sat there, trying not to make a face at the human food, and pretended to be human for Jake.

Monday came, and as I went through the motions of first and second period, my thoughts were with Jacob Black. On my way to Biology, I was planning to stop by the office to give them my excused absence slip. I needed to hunt next week, and after realizing that the pack of La Push was still up and running, I decided it would probably be safer to hunt out a ways. So I would be taking Thursday and Friday off, and I would be driving halfway to Seattle to spend the weekend in the forests there. To avoid drawing suspicion, I would have to hunt far less frequently, so I would need much more time than just one night.

As I stepped into the office, I saw a familiar tangle of bronze hair leaning over the reception desk. I heard Edward Cullen's low voice stutter as he caught my scent. He glanced back at me, before looking at the receptionist once more and hurrying by. I quickly moved out of his way. The woman sighed, wearing the same stuffy perfume as she had the first day.

"I don't know how many times we need to tell the students that you cannot change your class schedule mid-semester…" She noticed me, "Oh hello, dear!"

I made quick work of filling out the forms she gave me, promising to have them signed and returned by tomorrow.

When I got to Biology, Edward was sitting as far from my seat as the table would allow. I tried my best not to laugh. Was that his 'schedule conflict'? Had I frightened him away? Without even telling him what I was?

At the end of the day, as I walked to my car, I caught the Cullens at the far end of the parking lot, seeming to be locked in a quiet argument of some sort. I shrugged it off just as my keen hearing keyed in on the radio of someone's car. I only caught the end of the newscast, but it was enough.

"Five bodies found at a camping site in the Rainier mountains, the third case this month… Officials suspect that due to the apparent mauling of the bodies, it may be a result of bear attack…" I barely had time to register the freezing cold arms surrounding me as I was thrown to the ground, a white hand flashing out to catch the side of Tyler's van inches from where I had been standing.

I froze, staring as the same hands that had caught me now mended the imprint in the vehicle's side. None other than Edward Cullen kneeled above me, a relieved expression on his face as the mark his hand had left became a blurred gnarl of dented metal.

I stared, and he seemed to notice me.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly. I nodded a bit.

"You… Stopped the van…" I stuttered quietly. I suddenly pictured what would have happened had he not intervened. My blood staining the gravel of the lot, my soft skin and breakable body growing very pale as it began to heal itself. I may not be unbreakable, but I healed fast. And there was no way I would be able to walk away unmarked minutes after being hit by a truck without raising some questions. And then word would get out, and the Volturi would be contacted, and…

"No, Lina. I didn't," He pulled me from my nightmarish thoughts. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, you did. You were at the other end of the parking lot, and then you stopped the van…" I was slowly coming to a state of incredulity at his clear lack of any caution. Had someone seen him, it would have been no better than me getting hit and healing! I wanted to slap him.

"Lina, I was standing right next to you. I think you hit your head or something. We were talking, and I pulled you out of the way," He reasoned, his jaw set stubbornly.

"No!" I insisted, too mad at his lack of self-control to remember that I was supposed to think he was human. "You just appeared! And you-"

I was cut off by the arrival of what appeared to be the majority of Forks High School's student body. There were screams and cries and mumbled voices, asking if I was alright and oh thank god she's ok and where's Tyler and what happened? Edward calmly retold his lie, and I realized that all of the humans were accepting it and moving on immediately. Apparently someone had called 911, as an ambulance arrived shortly. I wanted to scream when I heard Edward inform them that he thought I had hit my head.

As I was lifted onto a gurney I flushed with embarrassment and resentment; so much for lying low. Edward got into the ambulance too, as the driver said there would probably be some questions for him, but he got to ride in the front seat. I wanted to kick him.

We finally got to the hospital, and after insisting that I was fine about twenty times, they let me sit upright on a hospital bed and wait for the doctor like a normal person. I sighed, staring at the tiny flaws in the threaded curtain separating me from the next hospital bed. I breathed carefully, the scent of blood and sickness and bleach making my head hurt.

After a while, a strong scent hit me, and I stiffened, turning quickly as a young man with well-kempt golden hair in a doctor's coat walked in with a clipboard.

"You must be Lina." He said, smiling and looking at me with the same golden eyes all of the Cullens had. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

I wanted to cry.

"Now, my son Edward says he was the one to pull you out of the way?" He phrased it as a question, and I sighed, nodding my head. I would scold Edward later for being so careless, but for now I just wanted out of the damn hospital.

"He also mentioned that you hit your head…"

"No." I said, and when he looked like he was going to argue I quickly clarified, "I… I think I was just a bit shocked. It all happened really fast, is all. But my head is fine."

Dr. Carlisle Cullen frowned a bit, and insisted on feeling along my skull anyway. Once he determined that there was really nothing wrong with me, he signed my release form and I was on my merry way. Charlie was waiting outside, by his cruiser, his face white. When he saw me his face lit up, and he hugged me tightly.

"Jeeze Charlie," I laughed a bit breathlessly, "What's with the mushy stuff?"

"I got the call, and I knew you wouldn't be hurt, but… I don't know… It's still scary, Lina. It's still really scary."

I smiled a bit, and hugged him for a moment more before pulling away.

"I'll try to stay out of trouble from now on." I laughed, and he chuckled a bit.

As we drove off I caught two pairs of golden eyes watching me from the entrance.

That night, I did a bit of research into the story about the campers in Rainier.

Three cases so far, a total of fourteen bodies found, all visciously mauled and all drained of blood. No animal tracks.

I hit refresh every few minutes for several hours, and just when I was about to give it up, a link came up reading "A New Lead Has Been Found In This Story". I clicked on it, read it, and shut my computer off. I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling, fighting back the waves of terror crashing over me.

Tracks had been found. Human tracks. I shut my eyes tightly.

There were blood drinkers in the area. And they were getting ever closer to Forks.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thank you to all those who reviewed! I would answer all of your questions, but I don't want to ruin anything. :) SOme more of Lina's background will come around in a chapter or two, I promise! Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: All characters from the 'Twilight Saga' belong to Stephenie Meyer, etc etc...**

Over the next few weeks, Edward was… Different. He was almost friendly; almost. He would greet me when I sat down next to him in Biology, and he would actually have an occasional discussion with me. The rest of the Cullens continued to stay away, though, and I never mentioned the accident to Edward again.

On Wednesday of the third week since the accident, there was an announcement at the end of seventh period that next week's winter dance would be girls' choice. I smiled a bit when I heard the immediate murmurs of all the girls in my class bubbling over who would be asking whom. The dance took place Friday, the last day before our week-long winter break, and a twang of joy spread through me as I realized I would have a week to go hunting and just be out in the wilderness. The thought of it alone made me smile.

When the bell rang, as I was gathering my books, I noticed Tyler approaching me, a sheepish look on his face. He looked bothered.

"Hey, Lina, I was kinda wondering…" He was mumbling, and were I human I doubted I would have heard him properly.

"Yeah?" I prompted, lifting my bag across my shoulder as I spoke.

"Would you… Go to the dance with me?" He asked.

I froze.

"I thought it was girls' choice…" I tried.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was kinda hoping… Maybe… You'd ask me?" He asked, looking at me. _That's not how that works… _I thought to myself, but I floundered.

"Oh, well… Um… I… I can't go to the dance actually…" His face fell a bit.

"Oh… How come?" He asked.

"I'm actually going… To Rainier that weekend, and I want to get an early start on the drive." I told him.

"You're going to Rainier in the middle of winter?" He asked, a bit incredulous.

I just nodded, mumbling something about liking the cold.

He nodded solemnly, murmuring a quiet "Oh. Well, ok. That's fine," Before he quickly left.

By the time I got to my car, Eric and Mike had both asked me as well. Jessica glared as Mike came up to me, and I quickly suggested he ask her instead. He informed me that she had already asked, but he had hoped…

"You should go with Jessica, Mike." I said, trying to be gentle while also refraining from screaming. Mike had caught me at the door to my car. I just wanted to leave.

Once I was finally on my way out, I sighed in relief. Free at last, free at last! That is, until Edward Cullen cut in front of me, bringing me to a screeching halt. We were two of the last cars in the lot, the others already filing out of the second exit. I glared at him as he got out, his entire family turning to look at me from his car. When he came to my window I was tempted to bash his head against my door, but I realized that would only damage my car. So down went the window.

"What do you need Edward?" I asked. My attempt at pleasantry sounded more like an extremely annoyed teenager. Ah, well. He smiled a bit at my tone.

"Well, the school dance is coming up, and I had heard you weren't originally planning on going, but…" Oh dear god, he could _not _be serious, "I was wondering if you needed a ride to Rainier? My brother and I were actually going camping too, and it would save gas if we could just drop you off wherever you plan to go."

I stared at him for a minute, trying to decide whether to be awed, ticked, or extremely creeped out. I never reached a decision.

"Thanks, Edward, but no thanks." I said.

He frowned and began to protest. I backed up and wheeled around to the other exit.

I wasn't sure why, but when I saw that his face had fallen there was something that tugged at my heartstrings. I pulled over a few feet from the school, and got out, walking a ways back. Oh hell, if the vampire wanted to drive me around, who was I to say no? I would act extra human in the car, and wipe away any suspicions they might have of me. I'd be safe again.

"I'll tell you when and where to pick me up!" I called to him. "But I'm paying for gas!"

His face lit up, and he nodded.

"It's a deal!" He called back to me, chuckling to himself.

I walked back to my car and sighed, shaking my head as I drove home. What was I getting myself into?

The next day, it appeared that all was forgiven amongst Mike, Eric, Tyler and myself. Mike was chipper, talking a mile a minute about how excited he was for this weekend. He had been planning a beach party at La Push, which I was a bit wary of. Jessica had convinced me by insisting that she would never let me live it down if I didn't go.

At lunch, everything took a turn for the utterly horrific. Edward Cullen sat apart from his family, and the second I entered the lunch room his eyes caught mine. He smiled a bit, waving me over to his otherwise empty table. I froze as the girls in my group gasped, seeing what I saw. I would kill him. So much for lying low.

Flushing in anger, I tried to turn away, but Jessica and Angela rather roughly shoved me in his direction with words of encouragement. I stalked over to him, feeling all eyes on me.

"What are you doing?" I demanded quietly. Was he out of his mind? What was his problem? He looked confused by my tone, and I regretted speaking. He didn't know that he was putting me in danger. He didn't know that I was trying to be invisible.

"I just wondered if you'd like to sit with me…" He said, pulling out the chair beside him. With a sigh I sank into it, dropping my bag onto the table. I noticed that he didn't have any food.

"So…" I said after a few moments of silence.

"Look, I just wanted to… To apologize for how I've been acting lately," He said. "I've been completely out of line, and I'm sorry."

He stunned me speechless.

"Oh… Well… I mean, it's fine…" I told him, then smiled a bit. He returned it easily, but then I heard a harsh whisper and his siblings all abruptly stood and rushed from the cafeteria. He frowned, standing to follow them.

"I'll… I'll see you later." He said, smiling once more before hurrying after his family with a dark expression.

The day was looking up. Friday, however, I was ready to die.

I was getting thirsty, as I wouldn't be hunting until next Friday, so when our teacher kicked off Biology by announcing that the kits on our tables were for a blood testing lab, I nearly jumped out the window. Edward was a no-show in class that day. Surprise, surprise. As the students began to slice open their fingers, some crying out and whimpering as they did so, I paled, my vampire side screaming at me to hunt. The teacher's steady hand was on my shoulder.

"You look ill, Catalina. Do you need to go to the nurse?" He asked quietly.

I nodded with vigor. Mike Newton, who had clearly been listening in, quickly offered to take me. I grimaced when I saw his bleeding pointer finger.

"Just… Stay a few feet away from me, ok?" I asked in a small voice. He laughed a bit, nodding.

As we walk, the proximity to his open wound was making it harder and harder to focus on being human. I reminded myself to walk at a human pace, my face getting pale as the seconds passed.

Finally, I gave in and just sat on the pavement between our building and the building holding the clinic. Mike frowned at me.

"Are you going to faint or something?" He asked, his voice raising infinitesimally in pitch as he spoke.

"I just… Need a second." I murmured, focusing on anything but the burning in my throat.

"What happened to her?" Demanded a silky voice; Just perfect.

Edward Cullen's shiny black shoes appeared just a few feet in front of me as he crouched to look at me with a concerned expression. Thanks a bundle, universe.

As Edward approached, Mike explained what had happened. I blushed a bit under the scrutiny of Edward's eyes.

I blocked off my senses, trying desperately not to panic. A bleeding human, a hybrid, and a vampire; What could possibly go wrong?

Edward and Mike spoke for a few moments, then I was being lifted into cold arms. I yelped, trying to push away, but even if I had been using my full strength I would have been too weak to fight off a full-fledged vampire. I wasn't _that _strong.

Mike seemed to have gone away, and my head began to clear a bit in the crisp, chilly air. Edward carried me to the nurse's office despite my protests, and set me down on the crinkly paper of a clinic bed. He left, and a few moments later the nurse entered, checking my pupils and pulse and temperature. She was worried I would faint, but I kept my body working just like a normal human. Ten minutes later, I was released.

Edward sat directly outside the door to the nurse's office, worriedly toying with his fingers. As I came out he stood, looking me over worriedly. His concern was oddly endearing, and I put my hands up.

"Barely escaped with my life," I teased. He smiled a bit.

"Do you want to go back to class then?" He asked. I paled a bit, and he chuckled. "I take that as a no. Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"I can drive myself, Edward…" I said quietly, and when he began shaking his head, "I need my car for tomorrow."

"I'll have Alice drop it by your house afterschool. Where's the key?"

I frowned, but when I saw his jaw set stubbornly I handed it over. He smiled.

"Come on then, let's get you home before you faint." He smirked at my death glare, and led me to his Volvo. I got in, and heard a soft melody playing from the speakers. I smiled.

"Claire de Lune?" I asked as he started the engine. He smiled.

"It's a favorite of mine," He said.

"Mine too," I smiled as he began it again from the beginning. Of all the vampires to be stuck in a car with, I supposed Edward Cullen wasn't the worst of them.

He was even starting to grow on me.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Sorry this is a bit late... Tell me what you think! :)**

Once we arrived at my house, I sighed. The beach party was tomorrow, meaning I wouldn't be able to hunt at all until Sunday. Edward was frowning as I got out of the car.

"Lina?" He asked, just as I was about to shut the door. "This weekend, you're going to the beach party, aren't you?"

I nodded, unsure where he was going. He wouldn't be going… It was on Quileute territory.

"Just… Be careful, ok?" His request startled me.

"Um… Yeah, of course. I will." I said. He smiled, and we said our goodbyes. I went in and started Charlie's dinner.

The next day, Angela picked me up and we went to First Beach, on the La Push reservation. The humans were all shivering in the chilly air, the briny sea air doing nothing to help even when they wore blankets and sweaters. Soon, a group of teenagers from La Push joined us. Among them I recognized Jacob. I smiled and went over to him.

"Hey Jake!" I greeted, going up next to him. His eyes lit up.

"Hey Lina!" He grabbed me into a hug, and I laughed as my feet were lifted off the ground. Jake had this amazing ability to put me perfectly at ease when I was with him. Maybe it was because he hadn't shifted yet… Oh well.

He introduced me to two other boys in his group, Quil and Embry. They were also clearly wolves, but again they hadn't changed yet. Further off down the beach, a group of three boys watched us. I noticed the tallest of the three was watching me intently, his face drawn into a wary frown. I froze as the sea breeze carried their scent to me. Werewolves. Changed. A pack.

Jake followed my line of sight.

"That's Sam and his gang," He muttered, eyes flashing, "They barely talk to anyone else."

Sam was the boy staring at me. I shuddered a bit. Sam. I quickly accepted the blanket that Jake offered me. Relief washed through me as the group decided they wanted to go for a hike up the sea cliffs; being surrounded by the humans made it way easier to be near the werewolves.

As we climbed, I tried not to focus on the fact that the werewolves were right behind Jacob and me. I was distracted, hardly paying attention to the human conversations going on, and definitely not expecting the unevenness of the terrain at the edge of the cliff. I lost my footing. It was stupid, really, but I was suddenly tumbling over the cliff face. All I could think was that the rocks below looked sharp and would hurt, no matter how fast I healed, and that when I did heal everything would be ruined. Then, two strong, warm hands caught me by the arms and held me fast, the fingers digging in painfully. If I were a human, the sudden jolt to my arm could have snapped the bone. I shuddered as I realized I would have bruises.

No matter how fast I healed, the concentrated strength being applied to my arms would mark even my skin. I let out a short cry as Sam pulled me up, and everyone's eyes were on me. This whole lie low thing was a train wreck. Sam quickly said he wanted to make sure my arms weren't broken, and immediately warded off all the people who came forward to help. He sent Jake away as well, and soon it was just he and I walking back down the cliffs. As I was led away from the crowd, I tried to stop shaking. I knew Sam wouldn't hurt me too horrifically, and Billy had been nice enough… But Billy was retired, and from the way Sam acted he was an Alpha. Not one to be trifled with. As we came up to the shore, Sam spoke.

"I didn't mean to hurt your arms." He said quietly. I was surprised at this, but nodded. Sam sat me on the fallen trunk of a tree, and pulled up the sleeves of my shirt, examining the dark bruises already forming. Against my super-pale skin, they looked like splotches of blue and black ink. He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize your kind could bruise." He commented. I looked down.

"They'll be healed in a day or two…" I said quietly. He watched me intently for a moment, until finally I met his gaze evenly. His eyes narrowed.

"You're welcome here, as long as you stay away from the humans and our hunting grounds," He told me, "But I would suggest you avoid causing trouble. Now, I'll give you a ride home. I think you've had enough of the beach today."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or threatening me. He gave me a ride in his pickup truck, waving to a lawn-mowing Charlie as he dropped me off. Charlie waved back, giving me a worried look as I went inside.

Later that night, while I started dinner, the phone rang. It was Angela.

"Lina are you okay?" Her concern made me smile a bit. Angela was a very thoughtful girl.

"I'm fine Ange; just a couple of bruises from when Sam caught me." I told her. I heard her sigh of relief.

"Good. I was so worried… Hey, if you feel better, do you want to come to Port Angeles with Jess and me tomorrow? We're getting our dresses for prom. You can get yours too, if you want." I could hear her excitement, and remembered her telling me that Ben had agreed to go with her. She really liked Ben.

"I'm actually not going…" I began, pulling the phone from my ear when her voice raised in protest and questioning.

"But I'll come anyways!" I quickly tried to calm her. It seemed to work. She sighed reluctantly, but agreed.

"Fine. I'll pick you up at 5. We'll have dinner there." Despite her grudging tone, I knew she was smiling.

"Ok Ange. See you then!" I put the phone back and laughed a bit. Shopping was definitely not my specialty. But maybe there would be a few bookstores… I needed something new to read.

When Ange and Jess picked me up, they immediately tore into me as to why I wasn't going. I explained that I was going camping. They looked at me as though I had grown a second head.

"_Camping?_" Jess demanded_. _"You're skipping the dance to go _camping_?"

I nodded, and Jess made a noise of exasperation. The mood lightened once we reached the dress shop, though.

Ange only tried on one dress. It was a modest, forest green gown that gathered to an end just below her knees. I smiled and told her that Ben would love it. That made her eyes shine.

Jess, on the other hand, tried on twelve before I decided that if I wanted to get to a book shop, then was the time. It was nearly eight o' clock. I excused myself, and quickly made my way down the dark streets of Port Angeles. I had seen a book shop that looked ancient, and made a beeline for it. It was a good five blocks away, so I tried my best to hustle. Once there, I found a stack of books that could probably pass for antiques. I loved the smell of the musty old pages. The elderly man behind the counter smiled at me as I left.

I had barely walked half a block away when I heard the footsteps. Glancing behind me I saw two men, both in dark clothes, both reeking of alcohol. I could tell almost immediately that they were following me. I didn't want trouble, so I quickly turned into an empty lot, hoping I could just use my heightened speed to get away from them. Just as I turned the corner, though, three more men grabbed me and yanked me into the shadows of the building. The road beside the lot was deserted. I was alone.

I immediately began to fight ferociously. The men were laughing, tugging at my clothing and making foul remarks to me as I kicked and clawed at them. There were five of them and only one of me. Some superhuman strength was required.

But the second I put any real strength behind my punches, I heard the stomach-turning sound of a lip cracking, and the sudden scent of blood stopped me cold in my tracks. I held my breath, and stopped moving. The men were swearing at me, the one I had punched raising his hand to strike me, and I was frozen to the spot. If I moved, I knew I might lose control. I still had a week before I could hunt.

Suddenly, the man who was poised to hit me was gone. He had leaped out of the way of a screeching silver Volvo, which spun around and came to a stop just beside me.

_No way,_ I thought, but surely enough the passenger door opened and Edward Cullen was in the driver's seat, yelling for me to get in. I quickly complied, pulling the door shut as Edward wheeled us out of the lot and we sped down the road. His hands were gripping the wheel so hard I thought he might snap it, and I couldn't stop the tremors that were raking through me. The shock and relief I felt couldn't be put into words as I opened my mouth to speak.

"You saved me," I settled with, though it came out a bit breathlessly. Right, air was required in order to speak.

He looked at me, his face full of fury, and for a terrifying moment I thought he knew. He had discovered what I was, and he was mad. Instead, he softened when he saw my expression, and he spoke to me quietly.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He murmured softly, not taking his eyes from mine.

"I'm fine," I nodded, shaking a bit.

"Lina, I'm so sorry…" He said, and his face was suddenly anguished. That shocked me even more.

"Why are you sorry? You saved me!" I repeated, this time with vigor.

He looked down, and I suddenly realized that he wasn't watching the road at all. Not that he needed to, I realized.

"If you had heard them… If you had heard what they were thinking about you…" He was spitting out the words, his features once again contorted into murderous rage. I was pulled up short.

"What they were… Thinking?" I asked. My blood ran cold. There was no way in hell.

He looked sheepish.

"Never mind," He said, focusing again on the road.

When we got back to the main streets I saw my friends standing outside of a restaurant, looking worried.

"Pull over!" I said, more loudly than I had meant to. Edward immediately pulled right up alongside them. They jumped, but once they saw it was me and who I was with, their eyebrows shot up.

"Lina?" Jess exclaimed. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?"

Edward interjected.

"It's my fault, really," He said. "I saw her walking, and offered her a ride back. But then I got sort of lost…" He laughed good-naturedly at his own imaginary mistake.

"Oh… Well, I mean…" Jess looked sheepish now, and Angela looked downright ashamed.

"We thought that maybe you had gotten something to eat, so we had dinner…" She confessed.

"Well that's fine," Edward quickly spoke up. "I can take Bella to have something to eat. I'll drive her back afterwards. You ladies can head home."

They looked at me for confirmation and, though surprised, I nodded.

Jess looked extremely curious, but Ange only smiled.

"Ok! See you later Lina. Edward." She dragged Jess to the car, and I repressed a groan. There would be questions come tomorrow.

"Sorry," Edward said, "I hope that's ok with you… I just didn't think you'd want them to question you about…" He trailed off, frowning. I smiled.

"Thanks," I said. That surprised him. _About time he was the surprised one,_ I thought. "So we're eating dinner then?"

He smiled, parking the car and walking with me into the restaurant. He ordered a booth, the waitress practically drooling the second she saw him. She adjusted her hair and her already low-cut top, and took us to a booth. I nearly laughed out loud when she bent especially low to hand Edward his menu. He didn't seem to notice. She left, swaying her hips a bit as she walked away. I hid my smirk behind the menu.

"Lina, are you okay? Truly?" Edward's question caught me off guard. I looked over the top of the menu and saw how concerned he looked. I was suddenly struck by a realization.

"How did you find me?" I asked him. He looked abashed by my question, and looked down at the table. I waited.

"Well… I… I was driving and…" I had rendered Edward Cullen speechless. Score one for me. He finally took a deep, steadying breath.

"I heard what they were thinking." His eyes darkened, his jaw setting angrily as he remembered, "I heard every loathsome, vile thought. If only you had heard them, Lina. I wish I had…" He trailed off, glancing at me as if worried he'd scare me if he said the wrong thing.

I stared at him for a minute, the same cold feeling returning to me.

"So you read minds now?" I asked, hesitant. He nodded, then frowned.

"All except for yours." He admitted. I smiled a bit, relieved.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked, joking. He seemed to take it literally, as he laughed incredulously.

"I tell you I read minds, and you immediately conclude that there's something wrong with _you._" He chuckled, "You amaze me."

_If only you knew, animal-drinker… _I thought, looking back at the menu as our waitress returned.

"So, what can I get for you sugar?" She asked, standing with her entire body angled toward Edward, and away from me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Water's fine." He said, not even looking at her. She frowned a bit, but quickly regained composure.

"Anything else?" She gushed. I coughed to cover up the laughter I felt bubbling. She turned to me.

"Oh. And for you?" She asked me.

"Just water is fine…" I smiled. Edward's eyebrows furrowed.

"Lina you need to eat something," He said. I frowned.

"You're not eating anything," I quipped. He gave me a look, and I sighed, ordering the first thing on the menu. I didn't want to argue. I would just find a way to not actually eat.

"Sure," The waitress said shortly, and then batted her eyelashes at Edward. I felt like I was watching a bad teenage drama.

"Let me know if there's _anything_ else I can get you." She said, taking our menus before flouncing off. I sighed.

"So why aren't you eating?" I asked.

He frowned, looking down, and he seemed to be debating with himself.

"Look, Lina, I… I'll explain everything on the way back, ok?" His eyes shone with resolve. "Everything…" He repeated, though human ears wouldn't have caught it. I was shocked. He couldn't be serious.

Surely enough though, after a while of quiet chatting while I pretended to eat the oily pasta dish that I had apparently ordered myself, he paid the check and we got into his car. It was silent for quite a while before he spoke.

"I think you know some of it already." He started, his voice soft and quiet.

I frowned.

"You read minds…" I said. He nodded.

"And you're strong," I continued, suddenly remembering the car accident, and how careless Edward had been, "And fast, and cold."

Edward nodded, waiting.

"What else?" I asked, dying to know how much he was actually willing to tell me.

He sighed.

"So observant, and yet…" He trailed off, and pulled the car over. I stiffened.

"Lina," he began, urgency in his tone, "You need to know that when I tell you what I'm about to tell you, you can't… You can't tell a soul. Nobody can ever know. Ever. Very bad things will happen if anyone else finds out."

His tone gave me chills. I rubbed my arms, the bruises where Sam had caught me throbbing a bit as my pulse sped.

Edward keyed in on the bruises, and his eyes darkened.

"Did _they_ do that?" He demanded, his voice low and lethal. His confession had been forgotten.

"No, no!" I said quickly, his dark eyes making me nervous. "At the beach I tripped, and the guy who caught me had a strong grip…"

He relaxed infinitesimally, and sighed.

"You have a knack for dangerous situations, don't you?" He asked quietly. One of his hands reached out as if to lightly touch the bruise, but he stopped himself. I waited.

"Lina, I'm not… Like you." He said quietly.

"What do you mean?" I inquired carefully. His eyes shut, and he took his hand back.

"I'm not human." He said. I stared. He had actually done it. He just broke one of the greatest laws of vampire-kind! He could have been executed for this!

"What are you then?" My voice was softer than a breeze.

His eyes opened, and he looked at me. His eyes caught mine, and he must have seen my stunned look.

"I think you know," He murmured. I drew back from him a bit, and swallowed. He was putting himself in danger. He was putting _me _in danger. Everything about this was a risk. But still, I couldn't stop myself from making it final; from sealing my own fate, even though I knew the consequences. A strange feeling awakened within me as I realized what he was doing for me. He didn't know I was in danger; He was sacrificing himself for my sake. So I could know the truth.

"You're a vampire."


	7. Chapter 7

Once the words were out, panic took over me. What we were doing was against the most cherished law vampires had: keep the secret. I didn't know what to do now, as my words hung dangerously in the air. I looked down after a while, his intense gaze too much for me, and I focused on toying with my fingers.

After a few moments, Edward sighed. He started the car, gripping the steering wheel, but we didn't start driving again.

"I'll drive you home, and I'll leave you alone from now on." He said quietly, dropping his gaze.

_That would be best, _I wanted to say.

"No." I heard my voice speak, and I nearly slapped myself. My mind seemed to be refusing logic at this point.

Edward started, and turned to me again. His eyes darkened again, and his voice was colored with anger.

"Are you out of your mind?" He demanded, "Do you honestly have no sense of self-preservation at all? Do you have some sort of death wish?"

I flinched. That was harsh, coming from the vamp who just broke the capital law of his kind…

He frowned when he saw me flinching. He reached out, then stopped himself.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean that…" He began. I waved him off.

"It's fine. Just take me home please." I murmured. I kept my eyes forward, focusing on the road.

After a moment of pause, he started driving. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.

"I trust you." That was all he said. Then silence again. A few minutes later, I responded.

"I trust you too." As the words left my lips, I was struck by a startling realization: The statement was true. He smiled a bit, and glanced at me. The happiness and relief in his eyes made me smile too.

When we finally got to my house, he stopped me before I got out.

"Your friends will probably be… Curious." He smiled a bit in amusement as my face drained of color. I groaned.

"I'll never hear the end of it…" I moaned. He chuckled. "What do I tell them?"

He shrugged.

"They'll probably ask if we're dating…" He said. I nodded.

"What should I tell them?" I asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, it might be best if that's what they think. It will raise less questions." He said, but quickly amended it, "Only if you want to, though. Of course."

I smiled a bit.

"Of course." My smile faded as I realized I was going to be the talk of the school. Ah, well. The fight to lie low had been lost a long time ago. I might as well accept it.

He smiled at me, and wished me a goodnight before driving off. I sighed, going inside. I had three missed calls from Jess already. Oh boy.

The next day, I wanted to kill something. I was so thirsty. Sunday was supposed to be my hunting day.

When I got to school and saw Jess make a beeline for me, I tried to keep myself calm while she bombarded me with questions.

In the end, I had a carefully crafted story. Edward had asked me out Friday. Sunday was our first date. It was going well. No, we hadn't kissed. No, we probably wouldn't for a while.

The last part made Jess a bit incredulous. She muttered something about me being insane, but let it go. The bell rang, and for once I was thankful to be in French class.

As the day went on, more and more people seemed to learn that I was dating _the _Edward Cullen. People watched me in the halls even more than they had when I was the new kid, and Mike spent all of our classes together with a dark look on his face.

By lunch I was ready for the day to end. Edward asked me to sit with him, and I wanted to hug him I was so grateful. We sat down once I had a small tray of human food.

"I have a… Favor to ask of you," He began, spinning the cap to my water bottle on the tabletop. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yes…" He looked at me, and I was suddenly lost in his eyes. They had caught the light in a dazzling way as he looked at me, and I suddenly found it was difficult to form coherent thoughts.

"I was wondering if you'd let me take you out tonight." He finished. That brought me back.

"Like… A date?" I asked cautiously. If Edward could have blushed, he would have.

"Well the entire school does think we're dating. And I… I like you, Lina. Quite a lot, actually." The admission stunned me speechless. Edward Cullen… Liked me?

I started to laugh. I couldn't help it. I sat there, staring into Edward Cullen's eyes, and I started to laugh hysterically.

Edward looked down, misconstruing my reaction.

"I understand…" He murmured. A human wouldn't have heard him. I immediately made amends.

"Of course I would Edward!" I said. I blushed a bit and added quietly, "I kind of like you too. Fangs and all."

This time Edward was the one laughing.

"Then… I'll pick you up at 4?" He asked. Again, his eyes dazzled me. It must be some sort of vampire trick…

"Sure." I said, dropping my gaze so my mind could clear.

It was stupid. I should have asked where we were going, for how long, when I would be home… Instead, I said sure.

So at four o' clock on the dot, I was walking out to meet Edward at his car. We drove for a while, chatting about anything that managed its way into the conversation. Then, he pulled over into a small lot by the forest edge.

"Come on. We can walk from here." He said, smiling and helping me out. As we started into the trees I began to panic. There was no trail. He wasn't following any particular route. It struck me suddenly that he could bite me out here, in the woods, and everything would go to hell.

For hybrids, being bitten by a vampire is fatal: unless we then bite a vampire in turn- a process known as siring. Vampire blood is more precious to us than a human's. When that combines with the venom rushing through our veins it changes us, makes us look like full vampires, turns our eyes a different color… And it gives our wolves a whitish sheen on their fur. As if that weren't enough, our sires command us, and we have to obey everything they tell us to do. They become ten times more powerful than an alpha; and nothing can stop them.

I had had someone learn the power of siring once. I never wanted to go back to that.

My heart pounded in my chest as we walked further and further into the trees, but before I could figure out where to run Edward stopped and turned to me. I froze. He frowned, taking in my tense state. I'm sure he could hear my heart pounding frantically as memories started to seep into my mind.

"Lina?" Concern colored his tone. I immediately felt terrible for thinking badly about this boy. His concern was sincere, and he was worried for me. Truly worried for me. "Are you alright?"

I felt a smile light my features. "I'm fine. It's just… A bit spooky out here in the woods."

He smiled, and took my hand.

"Don't worry," He assured me. "I won't let anything hurt you. I promise."

He led me a little ways further, keeping my hand, and then we emerged from the trees and I stopped short in awe.

A stunning meadow lay past the trees, carpeted by wild flowers and soft forest grass. Dappled sunlight filtered in through the branches high above. It was a sanctuary: it radiated peace and safety. Edward smiled, making his way forward, and his skin caught the light. He shimmered a bit, and I smiled, moving forward. The shining effect of sunlight on a vampire's skin never ceased to amaze me. I wish I had inherited that part of my father's genes.

I went over to Edward, mesmerized by his beauty in the sun. His eyes were doing that dazzling thing. He was smiling. I smiled back at him, mesmerized, and I reached out to touch his cheek. He tilted his head a bit as I did so, curious as to what I would do. I traced patterns across his shining skin, and he leaned into my touch a bit. I laughed softly, starting to draw back, when his arms caught me around my waist, keeping me close. It was my turn to watch his actions curiously.

He very slowly moved towards me, and I was totally caught in his gaze. He moved in closer, ducking his face towards mine. When we were only inches apart, he stopped and frowned.

"Is this ok?" He asked. I smiled at him, and on impulse I closed the distance between us.

The second our lips touched, I jumped back. It was like an electric spark had shot off when we touched, a freezing cold fire flooding through my veins. Edward looked shocked, and I could only gather that he had felt it too.

"I'm sorry… That was over the line… I shouldn't have…" He was struggling with his apologies, but I was struck still in amazement.

I had heard stories of hybrids finding their mates. The imprinting gene from our werewolf heritage combined with the soul mate gene from our vampire side made the bonds strong and eternal. The only difference was that as opposed to "love at first sight", we find our mates only once we've kissed them. Then it's all over.

We are bound to them, and them to us, totally devoted and in love forever after. Never will there be a better mate for us. And all that comes with just a kiss. That's all it takes: A kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here you go! Hope you guys like it... Let me know!**

After that kiss, Edward and I were quiet. We stared at each other, and there was so much in that silence: the longer it drew out, the more certain I became that he had felt the connection too. It filled me with happiness to know that. I loved him, fully and totally and truly. I wanted to hold him, to be with him always, to tell him everything… That thought brought me up short.

Mates or not, I still couldn't tell him. What if he hated me? What if he was disgusted when he found out what I was, who I was? What if he feared me? What if he told the Volturi about me, and I lost him? Then there was the worst option. What if he got hurt because of me? How would I live with myself?

I was dismayed when I realized I couldn't tell him. I would have to lie, and play along, and then as soon as possible I would have to leave. Disappear. Hurt him deeply. Move on and start over yet again: This time, living with the knowledge that my mate would never forgive me.

"You have to meet my family," He said, bringing me back from my own little torturous world. I tensed a bit, laughing nervously. A house full of vampires didn't sound safe. Edward still thought I was human, and that wouldn't change anytime soon.

"I know your family. I've seen them in school," I tried. He gave me a gentle smile.

"But you haven't _met _them. Not really. Come on, it'll be fine," He promised. I looked down, only to have him gently guide my face to look at him again. "I won't let anything hurt you. Ok?"

I wanted so badly to tell him then, to just tell him and have it done with. But I was wanted by the Volturi. And I was walking seriously dangerous ground, mated or not. So instead I just nodded and smiled.

"Ok," I told him. He smiled mischievously.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. I hesitated.

"Yes…" I said cautiously.

In an instant he had me on his back, and the trees were a blur as he ran us through the forest. I let out a short cry, and buried my head in his shoulder, terrified I would fall off and have to explain why the whipping branches didn't slice my skin open when I did fall.

"I won't let anything hurt you," I heard Edward promise again. I couldn't help the doubt that filled me every time he said it. There were things that he couldn't protect me from: things I didn't want him to protect me from. I couldn't let him be hurt on my account.

When we got back to the car, he kissed me again. Just like that, my world was ok again. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled, and I pulled away gently. That's when the pain hit me again. Every time I kissed him would make it worse when I left. I was a monster.

Edward opened my door for me, and fastened me in carefully. He kissed my forehead, smiling even more. I smiled too.

In a flash he was in his own seat, and we were driving.

As we went, his hand found mine, and I smiled.

"So… What happens now?" I asked quietly after a few minutes. It seemed like a fair question for a human to ask.

Edward smiled softly.

"I should probably explain," He said. "See, for vampires, there are some among us who have… Soul mates, I guess. And when we find them, it's like being taken into a magnetic field. We love that person unconditionally, no matter what, and we always will," He paused, frowning, "I'm not scaring you, am I?" He asked. I shook my head. "Good," He smiled again, kissing my hand before continuing, "So now… I don't know. Now the rumors about us dating will be true, I guess. And I'll love you until the end of my days. As long as that's what you want," He quickly amended.

I looked down, passing off my pained look as bashfulness, and nodded. This would hurt him. I would hurt him. And it was killing me. Why did I kiss him? If I hadn't kissed him, none of this would be happening. Stupid me. Screwing everything up.

Edward stroked my cheek gently, earning a smile from me.

"They'll love you, Lina. Don't worry," He murmured. I couldn't look at him. Each time he spoke I fell harder for him. It made me want to scream out in frustration.

When we got to the house, Alice was waiting on the porch steps, Carlisle standing at the door beside a gorgeous woman with caramel colored hair. I blushed as all their eyes found me.

I had barely stepped out of the car when Alice was hugging me with all her pixie might.

"I just _knew_ you would be my sister! From the moment I saw you and Edward…" She let out a trilling giggle that sounded like bells, and I smiled a bit with her.

"Thanks Alice," I said quietly. She giggled lightly.

Edward wrapped an arm around me, kissing my temple and leading me up to Carlisle.

"Lina, you know Carlisle, and this is my mother, Esme. Esme, this is Catalina," He introduced.

Esme embraced me, kissing my forehead.

"Alice has told us all about you," She smiled. "Welcome to the family."

Carlisle nodded at me, smiling and looking from me to Edward and back again.

Edward led me inside, and I was immediately lifted from the ground in a bear hug that crushed the air out of me.

"Welcome, welcome, little sis!" Emmett's booming voice erupted into laughter, probably due to Edward's face. I laughed a bit too, carefully extracting myself from the hug.

Up on the landing, Jasper and Rosalie were looking on: Jasper with a cautious smile, Rosalie with a look of harsh dislike. I gave them both a smile.

Edward seemed thrilled that I was meeting his family. Once everyone had been greeted, he took me for a tour of the house. And good god, it was a beautiful house.

The back wall was all glass, giving a gorgeous view of the forest trees beyond. Everything was white, black, or gold, straight down to the carpeting. Edward took me upstairs first, through his own bedroom, which had shelves full of music, and a black leather sofa on a thick golden carpet. Then he led me through all the other rooms, until we came to Carlisle's study. He gave me a more extensive tour of that.

The study was full of ancient books, and paintings from centuries ago. As we went around he gave me a brief history of each one. One painting in particular struck me cold. Carlisle was in it, standing on a stone balcony streaming with red flags and banners: beside him stood the Volturi brothers. Edward noticed me paying particular attention to it, and he explained.

"Those are Marcus, Caius, and Aro. They lead the Volturi," He said.

"The Volturi?" I inquired, my voice a bit higher than usual.

"Yeah, they're sort of the… Rulers of our kind. They maintain the laws and keep all of us in check," He explained lightly, wrapping his arms around me.

"Vampires have laws?" I asked softly. Of course, I knew the answer, but it felt like a decent question.

"A few," Edward told me, "Anyway, Carlisle spent a few years there. He and Aro are old friends," He told me. I cursed myself several times over, but smiled and kept going.

Finally we got back downstairs to go through the living room and the kitchen. Just as we were passing the living room, I noticed a closed door. Curious, I moved away from Edward to investigate.

"Oh, Edward, you should play for her! Has she heard you play?" Esme's voice spiked my curiosity, and I entered the room.

The piano was breathtakingly beautiful. It was polished black wood, and it was set in the perfect spot so that the light shone down on the ivory keys. I was taken aback. I had always loved the piano, but I hadn't seen one since before I left the Volturi. When Edward came up behind me, I smiled.

"This is yours?" I asked, practically whispering. He nodded.

"Would you like me to play you something?" He asked. I nodded, making my way over to the bench and waiting patiently. He took his seat, glanced at me with a smile, and began playing. I had never heard the melody before, but it was gorgeous: A lullaby, soft and sweet and lulling and beautiful. I smiled, closing my eyes and letting the music wash over me. No instrument could match the glory of a piano.

When the song finished, I waited for the last note to resonate in the empty room before speaking.

"What was that?" I asked quietly.

Edward smiled a bit.

"I wrote it, actually," He informed me. I fell in love with him several times over in that moment.

"Does it have a name?" I inquired.

He tilted his head.

"Not yet…" He admitted, lightly tracing the keys.

"Well it's definitely a lullaby," I told him, smiling.

He looked at me, and a smile lit his face.

"How about I make it your lullaby? That can be its title: Catalina's lullaby." He seemed to enjoy the idea, and frankly I did too.

"My lullaby," I mused, and laughed lightly, "I love it."

Our peace was broken by Emmett calling from outside the door.

"Come on Edward! A storm's coming! Time for our game!" He yelled, then laughed. Edward smiled devilishly, and turned to me.

"Have you ever seen vampires play baseball?" He asked me. I gave him an odd look.

"Should I have?" I asked cautiously. He laughed gently, and kissed my cheek before back tracking.

"Let me rephrase that. Would you like to?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ok guys, here you go! Let me know what you think of this one especially. It was a bit of a different tone, so give me feedback!**

**Disclaimer: All 'Twilight Saga' characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

I agreed. Admittedly I was curious. Who knew that vampires played baseball? I didn't, and I had lived with vampires almost all my life.

So Esme handed me a uniform and a cap, smiling at me.

"You can ref. Keep them honest, ok?" She laughed, a soft melodic sound that made me smile, "I love them all as my own, but when we play... You'd think they were raised by wolves." She told me.

I held back laughter. _Raised by wolves. _If only she knew who she was talking to.

We all piled into two cars: Emmett, Edward, Alice and me took Emmett's jeep, while Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Jasper took Jasper's RAM. Once we pulled away I turned to Edward.

"Do Rosalie and Jasper not like me?" I asked quietly. It wasn't difficult to put two and two together with them. Staying on a separate floor when I first arrived, going in a separate car now. It was Alice who answered me.

"Of course not, Lina!" She cried, "Jasper is just… He's new to our lifestyle. And our diet, so-"

When she mentioned their diet Edward seemed to realize something horrible. His gaze snapped to me.

"We're vegetarians," He said quickly. "We only drink from animals. I can't believe I forgot to tell you that."

I blushed a bit when he said that. I had forgotten to ask, of course, because I already knew. My god I was sloppy.

"O…Oh…" I stammered, searching for an adequate response to that. "Wow… That… That didn't even cross my mind." It was true… It hadn't…

I heard Emmett snort from the driver's seat. Alice smacked him upside the head.

Edward relaxed again once I said that, though, and he laughed in disbelief.

"Catalina you are too good to be true," he laughed. I heard the relief in his voice, and I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Not nearly so much as you," I murmured, mostly to myself.

Emmett's booming laugh sounded.

"You two are adorable," Alice gushed.

I blushed furiously, and Edward ducked his head. Luckily we didn't suffer for long before Alice continued.

"Anyway, as I was saying _before _I was so rudely interrupted by dear sweet Eddie, Jazz… He has trouble sometimes, when he's around humans. He's still adjusting."

I nodded, then frowned again.

"What about Rosalie?" I asked.

Alice glanced at Emmett, and shrugged.

"Rose is just… Stand-offish sometimes," She said carefully.

Emmett was grinning, and he laughed again.

"Yeah, my Rosie's a real wallflower," He laughed even harder at his own pun, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Don't take it personally, love," Edward whispered, "They just don't know you yet."

I blushed a bit when he called me 'love', and I saw one side of his mouth pull up in a quirky half-smile. Damn I loved this man.

We drove through the woods, all of us laughing when Emmett refused to slow down when going over some roots and ended up nearly tipping his own car over. We finally parked at the edge of a huge field, and Emmett and Edward began to unpack. I could smell a storm in the air and sure enough dark clouds rumbled in the distance. I frowned.

"Alice?" I asked, "Won't we get rained out?"

Alice smiled impishly.

"Nope. We never get rained out. I hope you don't mind storms though," She giggled.

I smiled.

"I love storms," I whispered. If I could spend my entire life in the forest during a storm, I would be happy.

Once everything was set up, and all the others had arrived, the game began. The bases were set much farther apart than in any human game, and the bats looked to be made of some heavy duty metal that smelled like steel.

When the first flash of lightning lit up the sky, Alice pitched. I understood now why they needed the storm: the force of the bat hitting the ball sounded like thunder claps. I smiled, and set my eyes onto the bases. I wasn't taking my ref job lightly. Esme was keeping score beside me, and she gave me a warm smile.

When the rain started, I wanted to sing. I loved watching storms, and this was the perfect excuse. I tore my eyes away from Rosalie batting just in time to see the first sheet of drops cascading down. Each one glittered and shone with an almost surreal light. I smiled, and looked back in time to see Edward running back through the trees, the all in his hand. He had caught it.

Rosalie glared when I called the play as her team's third out, and her glare turned murderous when Edward ruffled her hair on the way to switch, making the already soaking blonde locks plaster in all different directions at the crown of her head.

Alice was up to bat when things went horribly, horribly wrong. Jasper was pitching, and he winked at her before pelting the ball. She swung, but just milliseconds before hitting the ball her eyes went distant and she froze, dropping the bat. Jasper was at her side in an instant, gently stroking her face and trying to bring her out of it while the rain washed over them. She began shaking, and Edward was suddenly right in front of me, grabbing my arms and pulling me towards the trees.

"No," He was growling, "No, no, no, no…"

"Edward it's too late," Alice called, her voice low and broken, "I didn't see it… They weren't coming here… They must have heard us playing."

"What's going on?" Carlisle asked, his voice calm but forceful.

"The ones from Seattle: the ones we've been watching. They're coming," She said.

I froze in Edward's arms.

"The… The killings?" I asked him. How had that managed to escape my mind?

He wasn't looking at me. His hands had stilled on my arms, holding me close to him while his eyes searched the trees for a solution. I swallowed.

"What should we do?" I asked quietly.

"We should keep playing. As long as they don't catch her scent, they'll just assume she's one of us," Carlisle reasoned. Esme nodded.

"Here, put your hair down," Edward suddenly murmured, gently pulling my hair free from its elastic before putting my cap back on.

"Like that'll help," Snorted Rosalie, "I could smell her across the field, especially in this rain." She was glowering.

Edward glared at her.

"Let's play," Emmett called out.

So the game started up again, this time Edward standing with me while Esme played in his stead. I smelled the vampires before I saw them, the wind and rain bringing their scents to me. One in particular made every inch of me screamed in panic. I knew that scent.

They emerged together from the trees, three altogether. To the right was a female with wild red curls that, even in the rain, stood like a mane all around her head. To the left was a man that had an olive tone beneath his vampire pallor: He stood apart from the other two by several feet, allowing them to surpass him. Then finally was the leader of the three, a man with cropped brown hair and a wild light in his eyes, who quickly scanned the field, calculating and accounting for each of us. His eyes lingered on me, confused, and I wanted to scream. It was his scent I had recognized.

Edward was no doubt watching their minds, and now he would know, and all my efforts would have been for not, and this one human-drinker would have ruined everything.

Then he spoke.

"I'm so sorry for interrupting. We heard you playing, and thought that perhaps you could do with a few more players?" He formed it as a question, still looking at me. Edward growled protectively, arms encircling me. That was unexpected… So then Edward didn't know. Maybe I was wrong… But I knew that scent…

Carlisle stepped forward and all three sets of red eyes snapped to him.

"We were actually just finishing. Perhaps another time, though." He smiled cheerfully after he spoke, and then acquired an almost business-like air.

"You are the ones who have been hunting in Seattle, aren't you?" He asked.

The leader nodded. "We were just passing through."

"Well, we would ask that you not feed again until you're out of the area. My family and I have a permanent residence nearby and we try to avoid any suspicion," Carlisle explained.

The leader's eyebrows shot up.

"A permanent residence? Well, then, we are terribly sorry to have intruded. We will make sure your… _Family_'_s _territory is left," He promised, glancing at me again on the word family. The confusion had grown more pronounced on his face.

"Besides," The red-headed female purred, smiling wickedly, "We just ate."

Before an uncomfortable silence could develop, Carlisle spoke again.

"I've been so rude. I'm Carlisle. This is my wife, Esme, and then these are Alice and Jasper, Lina and Edward, and Rosalie and Emmett," He introduced, being sure not to single any of us out. I would have to thank him later.

"These are Laurent," He gestured to the second male, "Victoria," The wild female gave us a nod and a smile, "And I'm James." Again, the leader's gaze snapped to me, this time with doubt instead of confusion.

So I _was _right. He recognized me, but now he was unsure… I wondered how he was keeping his thoughts from Edward, but I tried not to question it too much.

"Anyway, if we're not going to play, we'd best be going," he said, shaking his head and starting to move again. Just as he moved, a breeze swept our scent over to them, and he froze, smiling. His eyes, once again, landed on me. I swore colorfully in my mind. Now he knew for sure.

"Ah. You brought a snack," He sang. That brought me up short. A snack? He wasn't going to rat me out? He was keeping up with my lie of being human?

Before I could ponder that too deeply, I was in motion. Edward had lifted me, and I was suddenly in the car, Alice on one side and Emmett on the other. Edward was at the wheel, and the Jeep took off with a lurch. I glanced back to see that the field had been deserted.

Fear ran deep through me. James was plotting something. Something bad.

_I stood at Aro's side at the trial, as per usual. There stood James, watching me. He was being tried for nearly draining an entire town in the Americas. Rumors had spread of a demon that had possessed the townsfolk and stolen their souls. When this was told to him he only laughed._

_ "A soul-stealer is not a vampire." He insisted._

_ Caius thought this to be a fair point, and had fought from the beginning to let James go. James had been created by Caius nearly a century beforehand. Caius hadn't forgotten that. So after much debate he was let go. This was only a few weeks before I fled the Volturi, and as I walked James out he suddenly grabbed my arms. Before I could call for help he had started to speak, and what he said froze me to my spot._

_ "Caius knows what you're planning, little one. He is terribly disappointed, and has tried to warn Aro. Aro won't listen. So Caius has asked me to keep my eyes and ears open, just in case. I'm a tracker, little one. My eyes are sharp and my ears keen. I wouldn't run if I were you."_

_ With that he was gone. I ran anyway._

And now here I was. James had found me. And he was going to take me back.

As I returned to the present, I realized we were headed out of Forks.

"Edward, where are we going?" I asked.

"Away. Far away," Was his answer. I froze. If James was looking for me, the first place he'd go would be…

"What about Charlie?" I demanded. Edward was silent.

Like hell if I was going to let _my _stupid mistake hurt Charlie. Charlie, who had been so kind to me and who had given me so much. Charlie, who was retired and could no longer shift. He would be helpless.

"Edward stop the car," I said. He didn't.

"Edward, _stop the car!_" He still didn't. I stood up, fully planning to jump out of the open back of the Jeep.

"Emmett!" Edward cried, quickly swerving to a stop at the side of the road while Emmett grabbed me and pinned me back to the seat.

"_Edward take me back right now!_" I screamed. He was looking at me like I was deranged.

"And what Lina? Have him kill you? Like hell!" I glared at him.

"Then at least let me lead him away from Charlie. He'll be watching the house. If I leave, he'll follow. And everyone's happy. Ok?" I was struggling to keep my cool.

Edward looked like he was struggling.

"She'll be fine, Edward," Alice piped up, "I've seen it."

Edward growled, but wrenched the car around and started back into Forks.

"Hey!" cried Emmett, "Watch my baby!"

When we got to my house, I went in quickly and slammed the door. Charlie was in the kitchen.

"Hey Lina! How did it go?" He asked. He came out as I passed, beaming at me. I felt my heart crack a bit. I didn't respond, going straight to my room and pulling out a bag. Edward materialized, helping me pack with his vampire speed. He kissed my cheek before going back out through the window to wait at the car. I went back down.

"Lina? Everything ok?" Charlie asked. He looked worried.

"Charlie, I'm leaving," I said. That caught him totally off guard.

"Wh… What? Lina, I thought you could stay for… For a few _years_, I mean… You know you're welcome here, right?" He didn't understand. Not at all.

"Yeah, Charlie, I know. I'm leaving anyway. I just… I just need to get out of here. Too much history," I said. That cut him deep. He _was _my history. My only family left. And I wouldn't be able to see him again for a long time. Maybe never again, if worst came to worst.

"Lina, wait. Now, just think about this for a minute. Now, look, I know I've been having you do a whole lot lately, what with cooking, and you've even been cleaning my house for Christ's sake, but you really don't have to. I like having you here, Lina, and I'll do my own cooking from now on, and I'll-" I cut him off.

"Charlie, I don't like it here," I insisted. I needed to make him understand somehow. I needed to hurt him. And I hated myself for it, "Honestly, I don't see how my mother lasted as long as she did. I'm surprised she didn't leave sooner."

That did it. He looked like somebody had just punched him. No, not somebody. Me.

He stared at me for a moment, unsure, and then he looked down and cleared his throat.

"Well… If that… If that's what you want…" He said. I nodded.

"It is," I insisted. He swallowed hard, and fumbled in his pocket for something.

"Well, if you're gonna go…" He started. His voice was thick and heavy, and it made me want to die, "I was… I've been working on this, and it's not finished yet, but… But I wanted you to have it." He handed me a tiny wooden figure. It was a wolf: russet, like my mother, and it was carved so it looked like it was howling, one paw raised. The carving detail was beautiful.

"What's missing?" I asked quietly.

"Well… I was going to add this." He pulled out a thin silver chain, "It's so you can wear it 'round your neck. So you don't lose it. I mean, only if you wanted…" He added, and then shook his head as if to clear it. I felt venom tears sting my eyes.

"Charlie, I…" I trailed off, and closed my hand over the wolf for just a moment before placing it back on the counter. It was too painful, "I'd better go."

I walked out on him, as fast as I could while maintaining a human pace for Edward and Alice to see.

As soon as I got in the car, I urged Edward to go. He nodded his consent, his face solemn, and he took my head across the seat.

Selfishly, I let him, wondering how much time I had left before I would have to do the same thing to him.


End file.
